Sun Goes Down
by freeze1
Summary: On the way home from school, Hikari stops to talk with Daisuke about chocolate, friendship and change. Daikari


A/N: This is a Daisuke/Hikari fic that focuses on their friendship more than it does their relationship. However, it's meant to be a Daikari, it's meant to have romantic undertones. I really believe in this pairing. I've been rather pissed off with the way the dub has treated Hikari, turning her into a, well, flirtatious bitch. She doesn't treat Daisuke that way at all in the original, in fact, she's extremely friendly towards him, and doesn't even seem to register that he has a crush on her. They'll make a great couple, whenever Dai works up the courage to ask her. For now, this is focusing on their relationship, and what might happen for them in the future. Oh, and by the way, I wrote this song after listening to "Sun Goes Down" by AiM on repeat, so…uh, yeah.

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. These characters aren't mine.

**Sun Goes Down**

"I smell chocolate."

Hikari turned, eyeing the boy who was stretched out next to her on the hill. His hands lay behind his head, and he was staring up at the sky so intently, it looked as if he was trying to read the clouds.

"You do?" she asked, awkwardly breaking the prolonged silence between them.

"Yeah," Daisuke answered, closing his eyes and tilting his head to the side, soaking in the smell. "Someone must be baking nearby." Hikari glanced down at the houses that dotted the landscape below with a sigh.

"You have an incredible nose, Daisuke."

He shrugged, a small grin on his face, and the two were left in silence once more. The sun was setting, she noticed, painting streaks of pink and red across the sky. She didn't know how long they had been there, just sitting in silence. She wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"It's getting cold," he mumbled, rubbing his arms to prove his point. She nodded, wishing that she hadn't let Taichi do the laundry: her lavender sweater was probably still waiting in the basket.

"You should get going," he said, in a very final tone he had adopted after years of being a leader. "Taichi-senpai would kill me if I kept you out past dinner."

She frowned. "You're not keeping me out."

"Oh come on," he said with a laugh, "like you want to be here?"

She bit her lip. "If I wanted to leave, I would have by now –"

He cut her off. "No way. You wouldn't even be here if you hadn't seen me on your way home from school. You're not just going to leave, I swear, you're probably not physically able to."

She swallowed, and quickly looked away. Her hands were growing numb, and she realized just how much she missed the days when she always wore a pair of pink gloves. The days when Daisuke never, ever snapped at her.

After a moment, Daisuke groaned in realization and sat up. "Shit," he muttered, "that was supposed to be a compliment."

"It's fine, Daisuke…"

"It's not fine!" He exclaimed. "You don't need to tell me things are fine when I'm a jerk and you're being perfect and nice and Hikari-chan because goddamnit, that's not fine!"

She gaped at him for a moment as he clutched at his hair. "Damnit, I'm yelling again! Won't anything go right for me today!" With a childlike wail he threw himself back down onto his back, next to the Odaiba uniform necktie that he had discarded long ago. Hikari shyly turned her attention to a blade of grass.

"Daisuke, do you want me to stay?"

An inaudible moan was the reply.

"When I saw you sitting here, it…well, it looked like you could use someone to talk to. But I don't want to invade your privacy."

"You aren't," he whispered. She smiled to herself.

"Then I can stay?"

"…Do you want to?" He asked, uncharacteristically timid.

She sighed. "You know, for two people who have been friends as long as we have, we're being awfully shy." He grinned. The sun set the trees on fire, coating everything with a honey-like glaze. Hikari smoothed a wrinkle in her green, pleated school skirt, nestling herself into the hill. She would explain her tardiness to her family later. Taichi would learn to understand.

"I don't want to go home," he mumbled after a few minutes.

"You're going to have to eventually," she replied, her voice gentle. "You can't stay out here forever."

"I wish we could," he said softly. Her face flushed. The word "we" was ringing in her ears.

"You're worried about graduation." It wasn't a question. His eyes widened, and his mouth opened to bark out something in defense, but after a pause he simply sighed.

"Am I that transparent?" He asked.

She giggled. "I just know you too well. Skipping a soccer scrimmage with Taichi? Did you honestly think we would brush that off?"

"What's the point?" he said, closing his eyes. "In two weeks, Taichi won't even be here to scrimmage against. And when he comes back to visit from college, there's no way he's gonna want to play with me."

Hikari let out an elegant snort. "Taichi will always scrimmage with you. He's been so uptight about you beating him that once, he's been doing laps. It's ridiculous."

Daisuke shook his head. "It's not just that. Next year is highschool. Highschool's big. What are the chances that we'll see each other anymore?"

Hikari tightened her grip on her skirt. She didn't know what to say in response.

"It's been hard enough to see Ken, what with him living in a completely different town, and it's been hard with Miyako now that she's in highschool, but now there'll be nobody. I've never been in a class without you and Takeru, not since fifth grade."

There was a long silence between them, and then Daisuke's eyes shot open. Hikari had softly moved to his side and laid down beside him, cautiously draping one arm over his chest.

"Even if we all don't see each other a lot anymore," she began slowly, "we'll never be apart. Our relationships are strong. They're forever."

Daisuke blinked, and tried to control his unsteady breath.

"We're forever?" He mumbled, glad she couldn't see him blush.

"You and me?"

He nodded.

She took a deep breath, and tightened the embrace. Her heart was racing.

"Of course."

He grinned, and quickly flung his arms around her to return the hug.

"Even when we're old and gray?"

"Daisuke," she giggled.

"Hey, when I'm old, I'm getting one of those cool motor-powered wheelchair things."

"Daisuke!" She squeaked, laughing as his hand combed through her hair affectionately.

"What? Takeru's getting one too! We've decided! We're gonna race. I could beat Takeru at a wheelchair race, right?"

"Well, I think it would depend on who bought a better wheelchair."

"Then I would!"

"They cost money, you know."

"So? Wait, are you implying that Takeru's going to make more money than me!"

"I'm glad to see you're back to your old self."

"I was serious! Answer the question!"

She laughed, resting her head against his shoulder. "I missed you," she whispered, hoping that he knew just how much. Daisuke was so innocent and charming in his own, strange way, that seeing him so upset had hit her harder than she had thought it would. She decided to think about that later, and for now concentrate on Daisuke's hand, which had managed to slip it's way into hers.

"I'm always here," he said, valiantly trying to keep his voice steady as their fingers intertwined.

She smiled.

"I'm glad."


End file.
